Oct. 8, 2018 — The haves and the have-nots

The 2018 season has once again become a demonstration of the contrasts between teams with highly-trained players from the U.S. high-performance system, and those without.

The season has seen final scores of 23-0, 13-0, 15-0, and, this evening, a 17-0 game.

But it’s not just the fact that the scores of field hockey games are beginning to resemble those found in spring lacrosse, but it’s the fact that some of the teams suffering lopsided defeats were, at one time in history, part of the nation’s elite.

High school sports are, however, cyclical. The redrawing of district lines, the merging of some districts, or splits in others can change the competitive landscape.

About a decade ago, for example, four Roman Catholic schools in northeast Pennsylvania merged to form Wilkes-Barre Holy Redeemer (Pa.), and the combined school has done quite well in the athletic ranks.

And next year, history will repeat itself in the public-school ranks in Luzerne County as three public schools will merge to form Wilkes-Barre (Pa.).

I think this will transform the Wyoming Valley Conference in field hockey, perhaps faster than anyone will think.